Comedian Brian Regan@@http://brianregan.com/@@ will take to the McDonald Theatre stage Friday, March 16,@@http://www.mcdonaldtheatre.com/eventCalendar.html@@, bringing his stand-up comedy act to Eugene. Although claiming to be “one of the most average men on Earth” when asked to describe himself, Regan’s stand-up comedy has been praised by critics across the country, and he has been touring the country almost nonstop for seven years@@http://brianregan.com/about/@@.
“It feels good to make people laugh because when they’re laughing, they feel good … to make somebody feel good for a little while is a tremendous feeling,” Regan said. “It was always a fun experience to be around people who were funny and to laugh. And to be able to cause that is, I don’t know, it’s kind of powerful, and it’s also very beautiful in a way.”
Comedy wasn’t always Regan’s focus, however. Upon entering college, Regan started off as an accounting major before realizing that it wasn’t for him. This discovery led him to switch over to a theater arts and communications major.
“One of my first classes in the new major was a speech class, and I used to try to make my speeches funny. I remember the feeling I got when I got the class laughing,” Regan said, citing this feeling as the reason he decided to be a stand-up comic.
Since then, Regan has toured the country numerous times, visiting nearly 80 cities every year since he began touring in 2005. He has released two comedy albums, “Brian Regan Live” in 1997@@http://www.dead-frog.com/comedians/comic/brian_regan@@ and “All By Myself” in 2011.@@http://brianregan.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=781_3757@@
Additionally, Regan is known for two of his Comedy Central specials, “Standing Up”@@http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1043434/@@ and “The Epitome of Hyperbole,”@@http://www.amazon.com/Brian-Regan-Epitome-Hyperbole/dp/B001AXU1FK@@ as well as for fulfilling a regular invitation to perform on the “Late Show with David Letterman.”@@http://comedians.about.com/od/currentcomedians/p/brianregan.htm@@
Because these appearances require Regan to update his material on a regular basis, audiences can expect to hear new jokes every year he visits their city. These jokes, though meant for audiences, are largely created with the intention of making Regan himself laugh, he said.
“I try not to worry too much about appealing to anybody in particular. I just like to do comedy that pleases me,” he said. “That might sound indulgent, but it’s an easier way to work.”
After more than 20 years working as a stand-up comedian, Regan still admits the profession can be difficult.
“The big challenge with stand-up is you want to connect with every audience, but nothing is 100 percent. So I guess that’s the downside, but it’s also the thrill of it,” Regan said. “There are no guarantees. So when you do have a good show, it’s always a tremendous thing.”
Writing material that is considered universal and is known for being relatable, Regan often writes about everyday occurrences. Applying an observational and physical humor to regular things happening in his life, some of Regan’s comedy subjects range from events like eating Fig Newtons to visiting the optometrist or going to the grocery store.
“Some people are good at sitting down at a blank piece of paper and creating comedy. That’s not how I work,” Regan said. “Inspiration comes from outside of me. It’s while I’m just living my life that things seem to jump up and down and say, ‘Hey, man! I’m kind of funny!’”
Tickets for the show costs $47.75 and can be found at all TicketsWest outlets or purchased at the McDonald Theatre box office. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and is an all-ages event.